How To Prep Pepper Seedlings

Peppers are an amazing summer crop – colorful, delicious and nutritious. You can grow your pepper seedlings from seed or buy very young, small seedlings and start them inside. After about 3 to 4 weeks it is almost time to move them out into your garden. You can tell it is time to start prepping them to move when they have at least four leaves on top. Some may even have a few more at the 4 week mark.

Transferring to Flats

If you started your pepper plants in a seedling tray you will need to transfer the young plants into a flat tray. The best way to scoop your pepper seedlings out of their tray is using an old fork. It is a great way to get the roots of each individual plant out without harming neighboring seedlings. After scooping up each seedling one at a time you want to transfer it over to your flats. The flats allow the seedlings to acclimatize a bit more before they go outside to your garden.

Acclimatizing the Pepper Seedlings

Once you have your pepper seedlings in the flats you are going to begin sitting them outside a little bit each day. Be careful not to have them out so long that they are scorched by the sun, but they do need to be out long enough to begin getting used to the less climate-controlled outdoors. Each day you will want to sit them out for a little bit longer. Continue bringing them back inside at night and wait for them to reach about 6 to 8 inches in height. Though they are still young and quite tender, it is then time to move them into the ground.

Possible Problems

Because of how delicate your young peppers are you may run into some issues when you first sit them outside in your flats. Fungi and insects are the main problems that pepper seedlings run into. Remember to apply your favorite organic product to protect your seedlings from both of these. In almost no time at all you will be able to move your peppers into your garden and soon enjoy delicious, fresh peppers.

Types of Peppers

There are many types of peppers you may want to grow. They are all fairly easy to start from seed and as long as they are protected when they are young and being prepped, they will thrive and produce many peppers for you to eat. Peppers can be fruity and sweet or hot and spicy, depending upon your taste. You can easily grow an assortment of peppers and try many different varieties in a single growing season.

Banana peppers are sweet and yellow in color. Sweet green peppers as well as red, yellow and green bell peppers are fruitier in flavor. Pimento peppers are red, round and also sweet. There are also your hot peppers like jalapenos, cayenne, scorpion peppers and chili peppers. Habanero peppers are some of the hottest and they can be either bright orange or white.